In modern microsurgery, laser-surgical techniques are increasingly being utilized wherein lasers of different wavelengths are used in combination with a surgical microscope. Usually, these lasers are positioned at a certain distance from the surgical microscope and, depending on the wavelength used, articulated arms or fiber optic light guides are used for delivering the beam to the surgical site. In some surgical applications, lasers providing a medium output power are now adequate. These lasers can then be mounted directly on the surgical microscope in a suitable manner.
The positioning of a compact laser adapter directly on a surgical microscope is known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,057,100 and 4,856,512. The known laser adapter comprises a housing which is mounted below the surgical microscope. The laser itself is accommodated in an oblong and tiltable additional housing next to the housing of the laser adapter. The configuration of this device, in particular the laterally positioned additional housing including the CO.sub.2 laser, is still relatively bulky, however, and can hamper the surgeon during surgery.